If you are born in a country where being yourself can get you killed, exile is your only choice.
Frances Poet’s play Adam is the remarkable true story of a young trans man having to make that choice and begin his journey. It charts Adam’s progress from Egypt to Scotland, across borders and genders, in his search for a place to call home.
The play was first performed by the National Theatre of Scotland at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2017, where it won a Fringe First award. It was directed by Cora Bissett, with music by Jocelyn Pook.
‘A resonant, broad meditation on the theme of identity… a compelling, hugely moving experience, and a show that blurs boundaries between theatrical artifice and real-life trauma to provocative effect’
— The Arts Desk
‘What a lovely thing Adam is… a beautiful adaptation of [this true] story’
— Observer
‘No pale recreation, but honest first-person testimony… essential viewing’
— Independent
‘Deeply moving… with an extraordinary story at its heart, Adam is a compelling piece of theatre, which seeks to fully interrogate the challenges of the trans experience’
— The List
‘A big-hearted, moving show that explores both the human urgency of living your truth and the cost of that transformation’
— WhatsOnStage
‘Fearlessly honest… fresh, interesting and impactful, with a strong message of hope and persistence against bigotry that remains sincere throughout’
— The Skinny
‘High-energy and often spectacular theatre’
— Scotsman
Edinburgh Fringe First – 2017